EGRET II mini tabletop arcade cabinet now available in Japan

The EGRET II mini is now available in Japan as of March 2. This miniature arcade cabinet comes loaded with 40 classic Taito titles spanning from 1978 to 1997, including an additional 10 games with the Paddle and Trackball Game Expansion Set.

The EGRET II mini continues the recent trend of miniature console and arcade cabinets by bringing the EGRET II, which appeared in Japanese arcades in 1996, down to a tabletop size with a 5-inch display. The unit itself has a rotatable screen to support horizontal and vertical titles and an SD card slot to add additional games. And like other mini cabinets such as Sega’s Astro City mini, the EGRET II mini supports additional features such as save states and HDMI output.

This mini arcade cabinet comes loaded with 40 games and the option to add 10 more through the Paddle and Trackball Game Expansion. You can expect classics like Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble all the way to shoot ‘em ups like RayForce and Darius Gaiden. The prospect of being able to enjoy some trackball games in the comfort of your own home is also an exciting one. The mini cabinet has two USB ports to connect additional EGRET II mini controllers which are sold separately.

The EGRET II mini also looks like it’s getting a limited western release via ININ Games and Strictly limited Games. The “EGRET II mini – Limited Blue Edition” being offered by these stores will be limited to 5,000 units and comes with a blue joystick and buttons compared to the purple of the Japanese release. Both ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games have pre-orders available, with ININ Games saying they expect to ship out units in late May 2022. If you’re interested in an EGRET II mini, you may want to pre-order as it sounds like supplies will be limited.

Between the rotating screen, collection of classic games, being able to switch between 4-direction and 8-direction modes on the joystick, and interesting add-ons like the trackball and paddle controller, the EGRET II mini looks like a detailed and promising addition to the recent mini console trend we’ve seen over the past few years.